How a mother’s love saw China’s ‘folded man’ through years of pain
- For two decades, Li Hua relied on his mother to get through the day and survive his autoimmune disease
- It is a responsibility that she shouldered alone through difficult times
China’s “folded man” Li Hua has a rare condition that left him with a severely deformed spine. In the second of a three-part series, we look at his mother’s tireless efforts to care for him.
Li, 47, has a condition called ankylosing spondylitis, which caused his bones to fuse and his spine to curve forwards.
In the last two decades, he has relied on his mother to help him get through each day, from preparing meals, to getting dressed and going to the bathroom. It is help that Tang has given with grace.
“I never complained about him and I never told him off,” Tang, 71, said. “He is my son. It’s not his fault that he’s got this disease.”
To show his gratitude, Li, who lives in Qiyang county in the central Chinese province of Hunan, would play his favourite song on the harmonica, In the World Only Mama’s Dear.
